Russian and Chinese ships will not be threatened when passing through the Red Sea, a Houthi leader said, as the Yemen-based terror group continues to target Israel-linked ships on the global shipping route.
“As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened,” he said. “Moreover, we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country.”
Mr. al-Bukhaiti said the Iranian-backed group does not seek to capture or sink any vessels on the Red Sea but rather “to raise the economic costs for Israel” as a means of pressuring Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza.
On the same day as his interview, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on the Houthis to cease “the harassment of civilian vessels” and to ensure smooth flow of international trade in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have conducted a campaign of terror against commercial shipping in the Red Sea for the past three months, causing disruptions to global supply chains.
Experts suggest that this may be another strategic move by Iran, following its alleged instigation of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
China, Iran ‘Increasingly Aligned’
Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the Hawaii Joint Intelligence Center, told The Epoch Times that the technology used by Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and rebel forces in Yemen—including drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles—have their roots in Chinese designs.“China sold drone designs to Iran many years ago and assisted them in developing their Iranian version,” he said. “In addition, the Houthi armed forces are using anti-ship ballistic missiles developed by Iran. They are using technology from China.”
He suggested that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) indirect support to those attacking U.S. interests in the Middle East diverts attention and resources away from Asia.
Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), said that China and Iran are “increasingly aligned in their opposition to the United States, its allies, and its interests.”
“For years now, China and Iran have been increasing their diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation,” Mr. Bowman stated on the FDD’s website. “That’s why it’s hardly shocking to see such a cozy relationship between China and the Houthis, Tehran’s terror proxy in Yemen.”
Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) think tank, has said that China, Iran, and Russia seek to undermine the United States and reshape the international order in their own image.
“By working together, the challenges they pose collectively add up to be more than the sum of their parts in any one individual challenge if they were working on their own.”
On Jan. 17, the Biden administration said that the Houthis would be redesignated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group over their attacks in the Red Sea.
